Pérez became the first Mexican Formula One driver to win a race since Pedro Rodríguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix.

[3] The Grand Prix was officially held behind closed doors, but authorities did give guest passes to local health workers and their families to attend in recognition of their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bahrain.

[10] Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo expressed his hope that the circuit would provide good overtaking opportunities, with Carlos Sainz Jr. of McLaren suggesting that choosing the correct setup, particularly downforce levels, would be difficult.

Drivers such as Sainz Jr. and Max Verstappen feared potential safety issues during the first and second knockout sessions in qualifying, with the high probability of close proximity between cars on track due to the short lap distance and the potential huge discrepancies in closing speeds between cars, particularly in the early parts of qualifying, with Sainz saying the layout "was on the verge of being dangerous" and urging the FIA to take action.

[16] The drivers and teams were the same as the pre-season entry list with three exceptions:[17] debutant Pietro Fittipaldi replaced Romain Grosjean for Haas, after the latter's crash at the previous week's Bahrain Grand Prix.

[18] World Champion Lewis Hamilton tested positive for the coronavirus the week before the race and, in accordance with Bahrain and FIA protocols, he was declared unfit to participate.

[23] The first of three practice sessions took place on Friday evening, with Russell at the top of the timesheet for Mercedes ahead of Red Bull Racing drivers Verstappen and Alex Albon.

[24] The second practice session took place on Friday night and Russell was again fastest, from Verstappen and Racing Point driver Sergio Pérez.

[25] The third practice session took place on Saturday, and Verstappen was fastest ahead of Valtteri Bottas and AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly.

Russell made a quick getaway off the starting grid to take the lead of the Grand Prix at turn 1, with teammate Valtteri Bottas behind in second.

The top three were Russell, Bottas, and McLaren's Carlos Sainz Jr. Pérez, having taken a second stop for fresh tyres, ran in ninth.

With the leaders on lap 54, Nicholas Latifi retired his Williams from 13th place, after turn 8 with an oil leak, triggering a virtual safety car (VSC).

[citation needed] On lap 61, Jack Aitken, racing for Williams in 15th place, spun and knocked off his front wing at the final turn, which came to rest on the track on the opening of the pit straight.

Russell was able to pass Bottas, Stroll and Ocon, in that order, by lap 73, putting him in second position, chasing Pérez for the lead of the race.

Bottas dropped to ninth on his worn hard tyres, passed by Russell, Sainz, Ricciardo, Albon and Daniil Kvyat on fresher mediums.

[35] Following the race Pérez said that he felt he could have held off Russell prior to the Briton being forced to pit for a puncture, declaring that "we won today on merit.

[48] Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo was left frustrated after feeling his team gave rivals Racing Point the opportunity to win with strategic errors.